Invitation to Psychology

COn

C

ept Map

Chapter 7

t

hinking and Intelligence

Chapter 7 Thinking and Intelligence 267

Intelligence

Measuring Memory

Animal Intelligence

Cognitive ethologists study animal

intelligence, cognition, and behavior in

natural environments.

• Some animals can use rudimentary
  tools.


• In the laboratory, chimpanzees have
  learned to use numerals and symbols.


• Whether or not animals possess a
  theory of mind is the subject of
  much debate. Some theorists argue
  that the great apes, and even some
  other animals, have some understand-
  ing of their own minds and those of
  others.

In thinking about animal

cognition, we must avoid

both anthropomorphism

Stress and the Body

the failure to recognize

our commonalities with

other animals.

Dissecting Intelligence

The psychometric approach

to intelligence focuses on

performance on standardized

aptitude tests.

• The use of factor analysis
  can help identify clusters of
  correlated items on a test
  that measure some common
  ability, such as a g factor in
  intelligence.


• Alfred Binet came up with
  the idea of measuring a
  person’s mental age, or
  level of intellectual develop-
  ment relative to that of
  others.


• The intelligence quotient
  (IQ) represents a person’s
  score on a particular test,
  compared to others’ scores.


• Efforts to create intelligence
  tests unaffected by culture
  have been disappointing.


• Stereotype threat can affect
  the test performance of
  women, old people, and
  minority groups.

Cognitive approaches to

intelligence emphasize

problem-solving strategies

and several kinds of

intelligence, rather than a

g factor.

• Working memory and
  metacognition are impor-
  tant cognitive ingredients
  of intelligence.


• The triarchic theory of
  intelligence proposes three
  aspects of intelligence:
  componential/analytic,
  experiential/creative, and
  contextual/practical
  (which allows acquisition of
  tacit knowledge).


• Emotional intelligence
  is an important type of
  nonintellectual intelligence.

Intelligence is an inferred characteristic, usually defined as the ability to profit from

experience, acquire knowledge, think abstractly, act purposefully, or adapt to change.

The Origins of

Intelligence

Behavioral-genetic

studies show the

heritability of

intelligence (as

measured by IQ

tests) to be high.

The Question of Group

Differences

• Genetic explanations of
  black–white differences in IQ
  have inappropriately used
  heritability estimates based
  mainly on white samples.


• Environmental influences on
  intelligence include:


• poor prenatal care.


• malnutrition.


• exposure to toxins.


• stressful family circum-
  stances.


• living in an impoverished,
  disadvantaged neighborhood.

Motivation, Hard Work,

and Intellectual Success

• Intellectual performance is
  strongly influenced by
  motivation and self-discipline.


• These in turn are affected by
  cultural expectations,
  attitudes toward education,
  and beliefs about the origins
  of mental abilities.

Animal Minds

Animals and Language

In several studies,

primates and other

animals, such as

border collies and

African grey parrots,

have acquired some

aspects of human

language.